Category: Jeremiah

Jeremiah Freed

1 The word came to Jeremiah from theLordafter Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon.

2 When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “TheLordyour God decreed this disaster for this place.

3 And now theLordhas brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against theLordand did not obey him.

4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”

5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.

6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

Gedaliah Assassinated

7 When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon,

8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniahthe son of the Maakathite, and their men.

9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.

10 I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over.”

11 When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them,

12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.

13 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?”

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/40-f498dbb1a8264ff223b686e84d385151.mp3?version_id=111—

1 In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there,

2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

3 Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babyloniansoldiers who were there.

4 The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it,

5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of theLord.

6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”

7 When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.

8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.” So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others.

9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

11 When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed,

12 they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon.

13 When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad.

14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt

16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived, whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon.

17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt

18 to escape the Babylonians.They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/41-b0d794145c1e92412253e22ba7b1e595.mp3?version_id=111—

1 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniahson of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached

2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to theLordyour God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.

3 Pray that theLordyour God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to theLordyour God as you have requested; I will tell you everything theLordsays and will keep nothing back from you.”

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May theLordbe a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything theLordyour God sends you to tell us.

6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey theLordour God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey theLordour God.”

7 Ten days later the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah.

8 So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.

9 He said to them, “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:

10 ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.

11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares theLord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.

12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey theLordyour God,

14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’

15 then hear the word of theLord, you remnant of Judah. This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,

16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.

17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’

18 This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curseand an object of horror, a curseand an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

19 “Remnant of Judah, theLordhas told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today

20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to theLordyour God and said, ‘Pray to theLordour God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’

21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed theLordyour God in all he sent me to tell you.

22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/42-8cd52424f00828bc1f74ddba19e0a350.mp3?version_id=111—

1 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of theLordtheir God—everything theLordhad sent him to tell them—

2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! TheLordour God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’

3 But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”

4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed theLord’s command to stay in the land of Judah.

5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.

6 They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women, the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah along with them.

7 So they entered Egypt in disobedience to theLordand went as far as Tahpanhes.

8 In Tahpanhes the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah:

9 “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes.

10 Then say to them, ‘This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them.

11 He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.

12 He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd picks his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart.

13 There in the temple of the sunin Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/43-470bee90168d5c8f022f6e364fefe689.mp3?version_id=111—

Disaster Because of Idolatry

1 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt:

2 “This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins

3 because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.

4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’

5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.

6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.

7 “Now this is what theLordGod Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?

8 Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curseand an object of reproach among all the nations on earth.

9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?

10 To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.

11 “Therefore this is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.

12 I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.

13 I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem.

14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,

16 “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of theLord!

17 We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.

18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”

19 The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him,

21 “Did not theLordremember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?

22 When theLordcould no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today.

23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against theLordand have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of theLord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.

25 This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!

26 But hear the word of theLord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says theLord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the SovereignLordlives.”

27 For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed.

28 Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.

29 “ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares theLord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’

30 This is what theLordsays: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/44-635dec424ab147c2ba9c0038f4f679b9.mp3?version_id=111—

A Message to Baruch

1 When Baruch son of Neriah wrote on a scroll the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch:

2 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:

3 You said, ‘Woe to me! TheLordhas added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’

4 But theLordhas told me to say to you, ‘This is what theLordsays: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth.

5 Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares theLord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.’ ”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/45-cf849717a4916dd30a34f3057de1681f.mp3?version_id=111—

A Message About Egypt

1 This is the word of theLordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:

2 Concerning Egypt:

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

3 “Prepare your shields, both large and small,

and march out for battle!

4 Harness the horses,

mount the steeds!

Take your positions

with helmets on!

Polish your spears,

put on your armor!

5 What do I see?

They are terrified,

they are retreating,

their warriors are defeated.

They flee in haste

without looking back,

and there is terror on every side,”

declares theLord.

6 “The swift cannot flee

nor the strong escape.

In the north by the River Euphrates

they stumble and fall.

7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile,

like rivers of surging waters?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile,

like rivers of surging waters.

She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;

I will destroy cities and their people.’

9 Charge, you horses!

Drive furiously, you charioteers!

March on, you warriors—men of Cushand Put who carry shields,

men of Lydia who draw the bow.

10 But that day belongs to the Lord, theLordAlmighty—

a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.

The sword will devour till it is satisfied,

till it has quenched its thirst with blood.

For the Lord, theLordAlmighty, will offer sacrifice

in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.

11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm,

Virgin Daughter Egypt.

But you try many medicines in vain;

there is no healing for you.

12 The nations will hear of your shame;

your cries will fill the earth.

One warrior will stumble over another;

both will fall down together.”

13 This is the message theLordspoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:

14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;

proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:

‘Take your positions and get ready,

for the sword devours those around you.’

15 Why will your warriors be laid low?

They cannot stand, for theLordwill push them down.

16 They will stumble repeatedly;

they will fall over each other.

They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back

to our own people and our native lands,

away from the sword of the oppressor.’

17 There they will exclaim,

‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;

he has missed his opportunity.’

18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King,

whose name is theLordAlmighty,

“one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains,

like Carmel by the sea.

19 Pack your belongings for exile,

you who live in Egypt,

for Memphis will be laid waste

and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer,

but a gadfly is coming

against her from the north.

21 The mercenaries in her ranks

are like fattened calves.

They too will turn and flee together,

they will not stand their ground,

for the day of disaster is coming upon them,

the time for them to be punished.

22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent

as the enemy advances in force;

they will come against her with axes,

like men who cut down trees.

23 They will chop down her forest,”

declares theLord,

“dense though it be.

They are more numerous than locusts,

they cannot be counted.

24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,

given into the hands of the people of the north.”

25 TheLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh.

26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares theLord.

27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;

do not be dismayed, Israel.

I will surely save you out of a distant place,

your descendants from the land of their exile.

Jacob will again have peace and security,

and no one will make him afraid.

28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,

for I am with you,” declares theLord.

“Though I completely destroy all the nations

among which I scatter you,

I will not completely destroy you.

I will discipline you but only in due measure;

I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/46-0c8db13c6f4150a12f9c0a980fb2586b.mp3?version_id=111—

A Message About the Philistines

1 This is the word of theLordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:

2 This is what theLordsays:

“See how the waters are rising in the north;

they will become an overflowing torrent.

They will overflow the land and everything in it,

the towns and those who live in them.

The people will cry out;

all who dwell in the land will wail

3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,

at the noise of enemy chariots

and the rumble of their wheels.

Parents will not turn to help their children;

their hands will hang limp.

4 For the day has come

to destroy all the Philistines

and to remove all survivors

who could help Tyre and Sidon.

TheLordis about to destroy the Philistines,

the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.

5 Gaza will shave her head in mourning;

Ashkelon will be silenced.

You remnant on the plain,

how long will you cut yourselves?

6 “ ‘Alas, sword of theLord,

how long till you rest?

Return to your sheath;

cease and be still.’

7 But how can it rest

when theLordhas commanded it,

when he has ordered it

to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/47-a624fa9ac8276a431cf585e34010e363.mp3?version_id=111—

A Message About Moab

1 Concerning Moab:

This is what theLordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined.

Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured;

the strongholdwill be disgraced and shattered.

2 Moab will be praised no more;

in Heshbonpeople will plot her downfall:

‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’

You, the people of Madmen,will also be silenced;

the sword will pursue you.

3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,

cries of great havoc and destruction.

4 Moab will be broken;

her little ones will cry out.

5 They go up the hill to Luhith,

weeping bitterly as they go;

on the road down to Horonaim

anguished cries over the destruction are heard.

6 Flee! Run for your lives;

become like a bushin the desert.

7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,

you too will be taken captive,

and Chemosh will go into exile,

together with his priests and officials.

8 The destroyer will come against every town,

and not a town will escape.

The valley will be ruined

and the plateau destroyed,

because theLordhas spoken.

9 Put salt on Moab,

for she will be laid waste;

her towns will become desolate,

with no one to live in them.

10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing theLord’s work!

A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!

11 “Moab has been at rest from youth,

like wine left on its dregs,

not poured from one jar to another—

she has not gone into exile.

So she tastes as she did,

and her aroma is unchanged.

12 But days are coming,”

declares theLord,

“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,

and they will pour her out;

they will empty her pitchers

and smash her jars.

13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,

as Israel was ashamed

when they trusted in Bethel.

14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,

men valiant in battle’?

15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;

her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,”

declares the King, whose name is theLordAlmighty.

16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;

her calamity will come quickly.

17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,

all who know her fame;

say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,

how broken the glorious staff!’

18 “Come down from your glory

and sit on the parched ground,

you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,

for the one who destroys Moab

will come up against you

and ruin your fortified cities.

19 Stand by the road and watch,

you who live in Aroer.

Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,

ask them, ‘What has happened?’

20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.

Wail and cry out!

Announce by the Arnon

that Moab is destroyed.

21 Judgment has come to the plateau—

to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,

22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

24 to Kerioth and Bozrah—

to all the towns of Moab, far and near.

25 Moab’s hornis cut off;

her arm is broken,”

declares theLord.

26 “Make her drunk,

for she has defied theLord.

Let Moab wallow in her vomit;

let her be an object of ridicule.

27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?

Was she caught among thieves,

that you shake your head in scorn

whenever you speak of her?

28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,

you who live in Moab.

Be like a dove that makes its nest

at the mouth of a cave.

29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride—

how great is her arrogance!—

of her insolence, her pride, her conceit

and the haughtiness of her heart.

30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”

declares theLord,

“and her boasts accomplish nothing.

31 Therefore I wail over Moab,

for all Moab I cry out,

I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.

32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps,

you vines of Sibmah.

Your branches spread as far as the sea;

they reached as far asJazer.

The destroyer has fallen

on your ripened fruit and grapes.

33 Joy and gladness are gone

from the orchards and fields of Moab.

I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;

no one treads them with shouts of joy.

Although there are shouts,

they are not shouts of joy.

34 “The sound of their cry rises

from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,

from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah,

for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.

35 In Moab I will put an end

to those who make offerings on the high places

and burn incense to their gods,”

declares theLord.

36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe;

it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.

The wealth they acquired is gone.

37 Every head is shaved

and every beard cut off;

every hand is slashed

and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

38 On all the roofs in Moab

and in the public squares

there is nothing but mourning,

for I have broken Moab

like a jar that no one wants,”

declares theLord.

39 “How shattered she is! How they wail!

How Moab turns her back in shame!

Moab has become an object of ridicule,

an object of horror to all those around her.”

40 This is what theLordsays:

“Look! An eagle is swooping down,

spreading its wings over Moab.

41 Keriothwill be captured

and the strongholds taken.

In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation

because she defied theLord.

43 Terror and pit and snare await you,

you people of Moab,”

declares theLord.

44 “Whoever flees from the terror

will fall into a pit,

whoever climbs out of the pit

will be caught in a snare;

for I will bring on Moab

the year of her punishment,”

declares theLord.

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon

the fugitives stand helpless,

for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,

a blaze from the midst of Sihon;

it burns the foreheads of Moab,

the skulls of the noisy boasters.

46 Woe to you, Moab!

The people of Chemosh are destroyed;

your sons are taken into exile

and your daughters into captivity.

47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab

in days to come,”

declares theLord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/48-666a38e753c1c39d9bdd69eac4f65abe.mp3?version_id=111—

A Message About Ammon

1 Concerning the Ammonites:

This is what theLordsays:

“Has Israel no sons?

Has Israel no heir?

Why then has Molektaken possession of Gad?

Why do his people live in its towns?

2 But the days are coming,”

declares theLord,

“when I will sound the battle cry

against Rabbah of the Ammonites;

it will become a mound of ruins,

and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.

Then Israel will drive out

those who drove her out,”

says theLord.

3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed!

Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!

Put on sackcloth and mourn;

rush here and there inside the walls,

for Molek will go into exile,

together with his priests and officials.

4 Why do you boast of your valleys,

boast of your valleys so fruitful?

Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,

you trust in your riches and say,

‘Who will attack me?’

5 I will bring terror on you

from all those around you,”

declares the Lord, theLordAlmighty.

“Every one of you will be driven away,

and no one will gather the fugitives.

6 “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”

declares theLord.

A Message About Edom

7 Concerning Edom:

This is what theLordAlmighty says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?

Has counsel perished from the prudent?

Has their wisdom decayed?

8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,

you who live in Dedan,

for I will bring disaster on Esau

at the time when I punish him.

9 If grape pickers came to you,

would they not leave a few grapes?

If thieves came during the night,

would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

10 But I will strip Esau bare;

I will uncover his hiding places,

so that he cannot conceal himself.

His armed men are destroyed,

also his allies and neighbors,

so there is no one to say,

11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive.

Your widows too can depend on me.’ ”

12 This is what theLordsays: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it.

13 I swear by myself,” declares theLord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse,an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”

14 I have heard a message from theLord;

an envoy was sent to the nations to say,

“Assemble yourselves to attack it!

Rise up for battle!”

15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,

despised by mankind.

16 The terror you inspire

and the pride of your heart have deceived you,

you who live in the clefts of the rocks,

who occupy the heights of the hill.

Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s,

from there I will bring you down,”

declares theLord.

17 “Edom will become an object of horror;

all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff

because of all its wounds.

18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown,

along with their neighboring towns,”

says theLord,

“so no one will live there;

no people will dwell in it.

19 “Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets

to a rich pastureland,

I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.

Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?

Who is like me and who can challenge me?

And what shepherd can stand against me?”

20 Therefore, hear what theLordhas planned against Edom,

what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:

The young of the flock will be dragged away;

their pasture will be appalled at their fate.

21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;

their cry will resound to the Red Sea.

22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down,

spreading its wings over Bozrah.

In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

A Message About Damascus

23 Concerning Damascus:

“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed,

for they have heard bad news.

They are disheartened,

troubled likethe restless sea.

24 Damascus has become feeble,

she has turned to flee

and panic has gripped her;

anguish and pain have seized her,

pain like that of a woman in labor.

25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,

the town in which I delight?

26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets;

all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”

declares theLordAlmighty.

27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;

it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:

This is what theLordsays:

“Arise, and attack Kedar

and destroy the people of the East.

29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken;

their shelters will be carried off

with all their goods and camels.

People will shout to them,

‘Terror on every side!’

30 “Flee quickly away!

Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”

declares theLord.

“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you;

he has devised a plan against you.

31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,

which lives in confidence,”

declares theLord,

“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;

its people live far from danger.

32 Their camels will become plunder,

and their large herds will be spoils of war.

I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places

and will bring disaster on them from every side,”

declares theLord.

33 “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals,

a desolate place forever.

No one will live there;

no people will dwell in it.”

A Message About Elam

34 This is the word of theLordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:

35 This is what theLordAlmighty says:

“See, I will break the bow of Elam,

the mainstay of their might.

36 I will bring against Elam the four winds

from the four quarters of heaven;

I will scatter them to the four winds,

and there will not be a nation

where Elam’s exiles do not go.

37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,

before those who want to kill them;

I will bring disaster on them,

even my fierce anger,”

declares theLord.

“I will pursue them with the sword

until I have made an end of them.

38 I will set my throne in Elam

and destroy her king and officials,”

declares theLord.

39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam

in days to come,”

declares theLord.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/3/32k/JER/49-dc6a908dd8b29ffdf221bfeda9cbc533.mp3?version_id=111—